THE DAILY TEXAN Serving the University of Texas at Austin community since 1900
Texas Style Council, students scratch surface of creative nail art
Horns take care of OU, improve tourney chances SPORTS PAGE 8
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TODAY
Proposed U.S. Congressional Districts in the Travis County Area
Calendar
@thedailytexan
Travis County redraws lines By Rachel Thompson Daily Texan Staff
‘Creating Spaces of Belonging’
Earth, Wind and Fire
Court approves redistricting for timely elections
BURNET WILLIAMSON
Rinku Sen, a national leader in the racial justice movement, delivers a talk titled “Creating Spaces of Belonging: Reflections on Community, Culture and Conflict” tonight at 7 p.m. at the St. James’ Episcopal Church on 1941 Webberville Rd.
TRAVIS
BLANCO
University of Texas at Austin
Earth, Wind and Fire will be playing at ACL Live at the Moody Theater 310 W. Willie Nelson Blvd., doors open at 6:30 p.m. show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range $41-$91
HAYS
BASTROP
‘Slingshot Hip Hop’
Palestinian film “Slingshot Hip Hop” brings together stories of Palestinians living in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel as they discover hip-hop. Screening goes 7-8:15 p.m. in GEA 105.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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CALDWELL Illustration by Simonetta Nieto | Daily Texan Staff
Federal court officials in San Antonio created five congressional House districts in Travis County on Tuesday, outlined by newly drawn maps. The maps will be used for the upcoming primaries and potentially for elections later this year, provided that no successful appeals are brought forth that will change the districts, said Texas Representative Burt Solomons, R-65, said. A Washington, D.C. court must approve these maps before any elections can be held. The University will be a part of Congressional District 21, currently represented by Republican Lamar Smith. “The court received a great deal of proposals and went through this entire process and decided to put out what they believe should be the maps used,” Solomons said. “They’re trying to get us to where we can have elections and get a timetable set for early voting. The maps have allowed us to move forward on that.” Solomons said some were pleased with the reIN OPINION: districting while others would have liked to see more changes. The maps can be appealed if Read important quotes plaintiffs decide they are unhappy with them, to note on the Texas’ Solomons said. redistricting “You can’t draw a perfect map that makes on page 4 everybody happy — you can only do the best you can,” Solomons said. “Judges are doing what they can in their jurisdiction, so now we’ll hopefully have a chance to move forward.” Travis County Democratic Party chair Andy Brown said the Democratic Party wasn’t pleased with the newly drawn map. “I think it’s a terrible map — Travis County has been hurt by this map,” Brown said. “It made it so that Travis County no longer has effective representation in Congress. The Republican majority has more voting strength and can silence our votes.” The new map, he said, will change the district for Lloyd Doggett, an Austin Democrat, who will run in the new District 35, spanning from Travis County to San Antonio. “The only way [the Democrats] have a voice is if Doggett gets re-elected,”
REDISTRICTING continues on PAGE 2
Today in history In 1961 President John F. Kennedy issued an Executive Order establishing the Peace Corps. Since then over 180,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps and volunteered in 134 countries.
Inside In News: City Council will vote on a plastic bag ban page 6
In Opinion: Could scandals lead to apathy in SG election page 4
In Sports: Catch up with the Horns’ big recruiting weekend page 9
In Life&Arts:
Tim and Eric talk about their “Billion Dollar Movie” page 13
‘‘
Quote to note “I always have to be doing something with my hands while watching TV or browsing the Internet, so nail art is a fun way to keep my hands busy. It’s cheap, pretty easy and a great way to be creative.” — Veronika Placek Style blogger and upcoming Texas Style Council speaker LIFE&ARTS PAGE 14
Course evaluations provide professors with student response
Sheela Jane Menon, graduate student in English, reads a selection from “Bless Me Ultima,” by Rudolfo Anaya, in a readin Wednesday on the West Mall. The event was hosted to protest the banning of books in an Arizona public school district as well as to fight for the continuation of ethnic studies at UT.
By Rachel Thompson Daily Texan Staff
Raveena Bhalara Daily Texan Staff
Read-in supports ethnic studies, books By Bobby Blanchard Daily Texan Staff
Beneath an umbrella next to a sign declaring “Knowledge is Beautiful,” anthropology and Plan II senior Rashika Pedris read an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” Wednesday morning as part of a protest against the ban of books in a public school district in Arizona. Along with 11 other universities, students and faculty at UT held a read-in all day on Wednesday at the West Mall to protest the banning
of books and the termination of a Mexican American Studies class in a Tucson school district. The readin was also geared at fighting for the continuation of ethnic studies curriculum at UT, something which assistant English professor Snehal Shingavi said funding for has been cut back in recent years. Despite occasional rain showers throughout the day, 38 student and faculty members read excerpts from the banned books to protest the Tucson Unified School District’s decisions. Shingavi said there have also been attacks on the legitimacy of teach-
ing ethnic study classes at the university level, which was another reason to hold the read-in. “Over the last several years the university has slowly shrunk the budget for ethnic studies on this campus,” Shingavi said. “We’re trying to reassert the idea that these stories are marginal and excluded and have always been at the edges of what the University considers to be meaningful. But that is no reason to exclude these stories, because they’re important in understanding
BOOKS continues on PAGE 2
Mid-semester course evaluations allow professors to incorporate student feedback into their course before moving on to a new batch of students. The Center for Learning and Teaching met Wednesday with professors from different departments to discuss ways to administer more effective mid-semester course evaluations that gauge the way students feel about the workload and expectations of the course. The professors and staff of the Center for Learning and Teaching wrote down questions they thought would be effective on a student survey and swapped ideas to formulate better questions. Mid-semester evaluations are distributed to students at the will of professors and do not replace nor coincide with year-end instructor and course evaluations. The purpose of mid-semester course evaluations is to allow students to express their opinions about the
courses they take and allow professors to respond to that criticism and better their approaches, said Karron Lewis, associate director for the Center for Learning and Teaching. Lewis said she doesn’t think most instructors administer a mid-semester course evaluation, but the use of one is highly encouraged. “We’re trying to help them understand that it’s a good thing to do,” Lewis said. “It opens up communication with the students, but then you have to go back and say, ‘Thank you for the feedback — these are the things I can do, these are the things I can’t.’” Joseph Rodriguez, an instructional developer at the Center for Learning and Teaching, said mid-semester course evaluations provide him with insights about material he was covering that he wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. “I realized I was covering a lot, and students weren’t really understanding
EVALUATIONS continues on PAGE 2
Transgender presentation U. S. Postal promotes gender-neutrality Service to By Alexandra Klima Daily Texan Staff
Students, faculty and staff gathered yesterday at the Student Activities Center to discuss transgender identity and ways UT can better serve the existing transgender community. The Gender and Sexuality Center conducts multiple seminars throughout the semester in attempt to educate the campus community on gender issues facing the population. Shane Whalley, education coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Center, led the presentation titled, “Transgender Identities: Expanding the Concepts of Gender.” A transgender person is someone whose self-identity and/or expression does not conform or
transgresses traditional notions of male and female. Their gender identity differs from their gender assigned at birth, ze said. Whalley identified hirself as “gender queer,” a gender identity where one does not identify as male or female and often seeks to blur gender lines. If a person is gender nonconforming, the use of pronouns, “ze,” “hir” and “hirs,” rather than gender-specific pronouns may be appropriate when addressing the person. “[UT Austin] needs to make classrooms more open to transgender people, and there are ways to do that,” Whalley said. Four gender aspects exist inside every individual — sex, gen-
TRANSGENDER continues on PAGE 2
consolidate local offices By Andrew Messamore Daily Texan Staff
Mail to administrators, staff and students living on campus may be delayed as a result of the closing of mail processing centers around Central Texas. The U.S. Postal Service will be consolidating its mail processing operations in Waco, Abilene, Bryan and Palestine into the Austin processing plant at 8225 Cross Park Dr. This will cause the plant to process 40 percent more mail than in previous years, said Barbara Pokorny, spokesman for the
Shila Farahani | Daily Texan Staff
The United States Postal Services will soon be closing more than 250 of its processing facilities nationwide. The northeast Austin plant is expected to increase processing by 40 percent, as others from across the state are being consolidated.
Austin processing facility. The consolidation is part of a nationwide set of cost-cutting programs the Postal Service has initiated to respond to the declining use of traditional mail, causing a large deficit in spend-
ing, said Sam Bolen, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service Rio Grande District. Changes in the economy have also forced the Postal Service to
MAIL continues on PAGE 2
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NEWS
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Lakes continue to suffer drought despite rain
THE DAILY TEXAN Volume 112, Number 128
CONTACT US
Although recent rain in Central Texas is steadily filling droughtstricken waterfronts, the lakes and related businesses are still a long way from stabilizing. Because the Lower Colorado River Authority is still under the Emergency Drought Relief Plan, officials will evaluate water levels of Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis and distribution capacities of lake water again today, said South Texas LCRA spokeswoman Clara Tuma. Tuma said the LCRA typically only evaluates the water levels in January but was given permission by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to re-evaluate the water levels for disbursement to farmers in south Texas. According to the drought relief plan, if there is less than 850,000 acre-feet of water in the lakes, the water supply from Central Texas will be cut off from South Texas farmers. Tuma said the lakes are at 846,000 acre-feet, so water will be cut off to farmers
Main Telephone: (512) 471-4591 Editor: Viviana Aldous (512) 232-2212 editor@dailytexanonline.com Managing Editor: Audrey White (512) 232-2217 managingeditor@ dailytexanonline.com News Office: (512) 232-2207 news@dailytexanonline.com Multimedia Office: (512) 471-7835 dailytexanmultimedia@gmail.com Sports Office: (512) 232-2210 sports@dailytexanonline.com Life & Arts Office: (512) 232-2209 dailytexan@gmail.com Photo Office: (512) 471-8618 photo@dailytexanonline.com
BOOKS continues from PAGE 1
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what America actually is.” Shingavi said he hoped the readin raised awareness about what was happening both in Arizona and at UT. “Hopefully, doing this read-in injects some of those ideas, some of those texts and some of those ideas into people who otherwise would not consider thinking about them or reading them,” Shingavi said. Pedris, who read the excerpt of Thoreau during a rainfall, said having ethnic study courses were important at all levels. “I think there is this view that Americans have one solid history and that is just not the case,” Pedris said. “We keep talking about being the home of the free and the brave, and those free and brave come from a variety of backgrounds. I think it is important that we learn as many different kinds of history as there are.” Shingavi said the reason for the book ban in Arizona and the attack on ethnic study curriculum was probably to hide the darker side of American history. “There is a kind of fear that many have on the political right about ethnic studies of challenging this notion that America is the pinnacle of democracy and civil rights globally,” Shingavi said. “American history is normally the triumph narrative of white settlement in America, the rise of an industrial class, the growth of American power globally. The ethnic study narrative is a
THE DAILY TEXAN
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Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viviana Aldous Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Daley, Samantha Katsounas Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Audrey White Associate Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aleksander Chan News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jillian Bliss Associate News Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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(512) 471-1865 advertise@texasstudentmedia.com Director of Advertising & Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jalah Goette Business Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lori Hamilton Business Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy Ramirez Advertising Adviser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CJ Salgado Broadcast & Events Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carter Goss Campus & National Sales Associate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bowerman Student Advertising Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Ford Student Assistant Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Veronica Serrato Student Acct. Execs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ted Sniderman, Adrian Lloyd, Morgan Haenchen, Ted Moreland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paola Reyes, Fredis Benitez, Tyrell Elegonye, Zach Congdon Student Office Assistant/Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rene Gonzalez Student Marketing Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Allison McMordie Student Buys of Texas Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsey Hollingsworth Student Buys of Texas Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Suzi Zhaw, Esteban Rivera Senior Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Felimon Hernandez Junior Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Rodriguez Special Editions Adviser & Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adrienne Lee Student Special Editions Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christine Imperatore
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in the Garwood district, northwest of Galveston. “We have been communicating with the farmers in Garwood for months, so this should not be a surprise,” Tuma said. “The combined water storage has gone up 50,000 acre-feet this winter. An acre-foot is just a little less than 326,000 gallons, so that’s a significant amount of water, but the lakes remain less than half-full, so the drought is by no means over.” Tuma said Lake Travis is 39 percent full and Lake Buchannan is 45 percent full, and the amount of rain needed to fill the lakes is hard to predict because other conditions must be taken into effect. “There can be a lot of rain, but if it does not fall somewhere where it can drain into the lake, it will not increase the lake level,” Tuma said. “Soil conditions are another factor that play into the water’s ability to reach the lakes. Don’t get me wrong, we need rain everywhere to help this drought, but not everywhere will help the lakes.”
By Kayla Jonsson Daily Texan Staff
3/1/12
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SOME BOOKS BANNED BY TSUD • • •
“House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn “Feminism is for Everybody” by Bell Hooks
different narrative.” Shingavi said ethnic studies classes provide a viewpoint on groups who had to fight for their legal rights. “It provides a real texture for those of us who contend with the contemporary legacy of exclusion, discrimination and lack of civil rights,” Shingavi said. Saloni Singh, Plan II honors and biology senior, read an excerpt from Luis Alberto Urrea’s “The Devil’s Highway,” a book about deaths on the U.S.Mexico border. She said ethnic studies in the United States could not be separated from immigration studies. “Almost all the groups exist in the United States were at one point descendants from immigrants,” Singh said. “I think ethnic studies, especially in places like Arizona, are critical for the appreciation of migrants and migration, why people come here and what lengths people go to come here, despite adversary and danger.”
Farming is not the only industry affected by the low water levels. Riviera Marina president Steven Allen said the low water level of Lake Travis has effected business and become an expense because the marina has had to relocate to follow the receding shoreline. “The drought has affected every marina on the lake and every business around the lake,” Stevens said. “Not to mention Austin and the surrounding cities. Not many people think about the effects on businesses outside of Lake Travis, but it is huge. People come to Austin for the lakes and the music.” Stevens said business was go o d l ast summer but not great, and he is hopeful that wet weather predicted for the spring will help business for the upcoming summer. “2012 could be a devastating year for businesses on or around Lake Travis if we don’t gain 20 feet of water at a minimum,” Stevens said. “This summer will depend on the rain. We will see.”
Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photo
Boats float in Lake Travis last Wednesday before recent rains came through the area. Despite the rain, Lake Travis is still only 39 percent full, and the low levels have contributed to a decline in the business activity of the area.
Nutrition sophomore Meredith Furst said she grew up on Lake Travis and her family still owns a boat there, so the drought has created a hassle for the storage of their boat and has allowed for less time on the lake. “It’s really sad, because we used to go out on our boat ev-
TRANSGENDER continuesfromPAGE1 REDISTRICTING continues from PAGE 1 der identity, gender expression and romantic orientation, Whalley said. Transgender people spend much mental energy on the first three aspects, attempting to identify and understand their gender identity. In contrast, heterosexual people mainly ponder one gender aspect — romantic orientation, ze said. Whalley said if any students’ gender is unclear, teachers and classmates should keep gender assumptive language such as “you guys” out of the classroom. Offensive slang words such as “tranny” should be avoided as well, ze said. History senior Juan Carlos Suarez attended the presentation and said Whalley’s points were informative and enlightening. “It’s refreshing to hear someone talk about issues that most people don’t even think about, such as gender identity and gender expression,” Suarez said. Suarez is a member of Peers for Pride, a program training peer facilitators to lead sexual orientation and gender identity workshops across the UT campus. Suarez said transgender people feel safe at UT, but not welcomed. Even though Austin has a reputation of welcoming transgender people, some forget that provincial views on sexuality still exist, he said. Su-
It’s refreshing to hear someone talk about issues that most people don’t even think about, such as gender identity and gender expression — Juan Carlos Suarez, History senior
arez said gender-neutral housing, which has been suggested by the student group StandOut, would make transgender students feel more welcome and included on campus. Therapist Laura Vanderslice, who also attended the presentation, said spreading awareness is vital to the process of expanding the concepts of gender. “If you are unclear on someone’s gender, don’t be af raid to ask questions,” Vanderslice said. Whalley said rather than ignoring the issue of gender identity, people should focus on long-term culture change. “The most important culture shift of all is to not base one’s gender on genitals,” Whalley said.
EVALUATION
Nathan Goldsmith Daily Texan Staff
dents, Braseby said. “I wanted to get a workman that was good, so I went on Yelp,” she said. “They were saying, ‘Daniel was very friendly,’ but the bottom line wasn’t that he was nice and friend-
MAIL continues from PAGE 1 shut down more than 250 processing centers around the country and lay off 30,000 workers. Due to the growth of electronic commerce, the Postal Service does not expect the jobs to return when the economy improves, Bolen said. “We rely solely on the revenue generated by our services to fund our operations, and over the last eight years there’s been a 25 percent decline in first class mail volume,” Bolen said. “We have a decline in revenue, and now we have more facilities than we need
Brown said. Andy Hogue of the Travis County Republican Party said he is happy that Republican seats were preserved and feels the map correctly represents the vote of the people. “There’s still a lot of uncertainty because it’s a very complicated map,” Hogue said. “But the Legislature is the people’s house, so if the Legislature wrote the map, then it should stand.” Despite his personal praise of the new map, Hogue said he recognizes the concerns of the Democrats over the new map. “What the courts drew is a politically-motivated map,” Hogue said. “I think there will always be some disagreement.” Gary Freeman, government professor and department chair, said he thinks other states have better models for redistricting that better reflect the interests of the people. “It’s too much to expect the legislature to separate their interests from giving people the right representation,” Freeman said. “It’s especially important for the minority candidates and minority voters. It’s a very unusual system that should be changed.” University Democrats president Huey Fischer said student awareness is a major issue in the midst of the redistricting. “The redistricting situation has been a mess — there isn’t enough awareness,” he said. “These are things that elected officials are responsible for informing students about, but because there’s so much confusion, they’re not doing that.” Instructional developer Anne Braseby examines questions generated by participants during a workshop for UT faculty Wednesday afternoon. The workshop aimed to help professors better understand the needs of their students by conducting more effective mid-semester course evaluations.
continues from PAGE 1
the concepts,” Rodriguez said. “This informed me that I needed to add questions to guide students as they read. I wanted them to read with a purpose.” Accounting professor Kristina Zvinakis said she wasn’t sure about midsemester course evaluations when the idea was first brought up. “I thought it was almost like cheating,” she said. “I thought it was like I’d be ensuring that I’d get better evaluations at the end of the course. But now I see they have a dual purpose.” Developing and interpreting midsemester course evaluations is a bit like finding a plumber on Yelp, said Anne Braseby, instructional developer for the Center for Learning and Teaching. With more effectively structured surveys, results will be easier to interpret and put into action for the benefit of both staff and stu-
ery weekend almost religiously,” Furst said. “We’ve had to change marinas because the water got so low our boat was just sitting on the rocks. The recent rain has brought relief to me, but the lake is so low it’s pretty much going to take a monsoon to get it back to normal.”
to handle the declining volume of mail.” The Postal Service also announced last week that its First Class Mail service would no longer deliver letters in less than a day. As a result, all letters, envelopes, fliers and magazines will take two to three days for delivery in Austin and the surrounding area. This change will not affect packages, Bolen said. UT traffics over 8 million parcels of mail a year to administrators alone, and would feel the effect of this consolidation, said
ly, the bottom line was that he was a good plumber. We have similar responses in our course evaluations.” Students often respond to the way things are taught, rather than the material being taught, she said.
UT Mail Services manager James Guza. Since most of these letters are business transactions, checks and receipts, they could frustrate operations at the University. “We are still going over it with the Post Office as far as deliveries, but we know it will slow delivery times,” Guza said. “It’s backed up over the years with the closing of processing plants and it may change what time we get the mail out the door and into the office.” The consolidation may also put pressure on staff deliver-
“The bottom line is [whether] students are learning,” Braseby said. “If the students are learning, then we’re doing our job. The feedback should reflect what this bottom line is.”
ing mail to students, but students may not have to suffer longer delivery times, said Dawn Davis, administrative associate for the Division of Housing and Food Services. “For the most part, our students are accustomed to mail taking about three to five business days,” Davis said. “The challenge could come with our residence hall mail centers feeling a new sense of urgency, but things around campus are always going to be changing and we always welcome the challenge.”
World&NatioN
3
Thursday, March 1, 2012 | The Daily Texan | Elyana Barrera, Wire Editor | dailytexanonline.com
NEWS BRIEFLY 10 people killed in southern Illinois by severe storms BRANSON, Mo. — Authorities say 10 people have been killed in southern Illinois by severe storms that slammed the Midwest. A spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency says the coroner’s office in the small town of Harrisburg has reported the updated death toll. The storm hit the area around 5 a.m., causing widespread damage.
Massachusetts schools apologize for racist mistake METHUEN, Mass. — School officials in a Massachusetts town are apologizing for sending home a lunch menu that listed KKK Chicken Tenders as an option. Superintendent Judith Scannell said the menu was supposed to list KK Chicken Tenders, with the KK standing for a creatively spelled “Krispy, Krunchy,” but an employee mistakenly hit the “K’’ key one too many times. A student pointed out to WCVBTV that it there would’ve been no issue if officials just spelled the words correctly, with the letter C.
Teen hurt in Ohio school shooting now home
CHARDON, Ohio — Authorities say a teen who was hurt but survived a deadly shooting rampage at an Ohio high school has been released from the hospital. The Chardon police chief says authorities learned Tuesday that the female Chardon High student had been released and was home with family. He said it is good news amid tragic circumstances. The shootings Monday killed three students and wounded two, including the 18-year-old girl. — The Associated Press
Spain student protests turn violent in Barcelona A demonstrator sits on the ground as riot police officers stand guard next to the Mobile World Congress during a protest in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday. Spanish students in Barcelona clashed Wednesday with police and set fire to garbage containers during nationwide protests against education spending cuts.
By Joseph Wilson The Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain — Tens of thousands of students protested education spending cuts in big cities across Spain on Wednesday, and the demonstrations turned violent in Barcelona as angry young adults clashed with police. Riot police charged a crowd outside the stock market in Barcelona, Spain’s second largest city, after protesters who broke away from a peaceful rally numbering thousands threw rocks and other objects. Video in Spanish media showed protesters setting plastic garbage containers alight with flares, causing a blaze that destroyed at least one car. They also hurled rocks at the glass front door of a bank branch. Some students made their way to the University of Barcelona and took refuge from riot police in a plaza inside the campus, denying that they started the violence. Student Pau Bronsoms, 22, said police used truncheons to hit protesters and fired rubber bullets. “We did not expect this degree of repression,” he said. “Nobody broke anything until they charged.” A regional police official in Barcelona declined comment on tactics used to break up the demonstration, speaking on condition of anonymity be-
Marta Ramoneda Associated Press
cause of department policy. Spain is in the midst of a deep economic crisis, with the unemployment rate for people ages 16-24 at nearly 50 percent. Many young adults fear they have
no future in the country and are angry at the new conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, which is enacting widespread austerity cuts to prevent the country from being forced into a bailout such as those taken by
Greece, Ireland and Portugal. Large protests also took place Wednesday in Madrid and Valencia, but there were no reports of violence. The Barcelona protesters re-
grouped late in the afternoon and marched to the sprawling convention center hosting the Mobile World Congress, an annual cellphone trade show event that is the world’s largest.
Syrian government threatens to ‘cleanse’ rebel area in Homs By Ben Hubbard The Associated Press
BEIRUT — The Syrian regime showed a new determination Wednesday to crush its opponents, vowing to “cleanse” a rebelheld district in the besieged central city of Homs after nearly four weeks of shelling.
Government troops massed outside the embattled neighborhood of Baba Amr, raising fears among activists of an imminent ground invasion that could endanger thousands of residents, as well as two trapped Western journalists, who have been under heavy bombardment. A Spanish journalist who had been stuck in the area escaped Wednes-
day to Lebanon, the second foreign reporter to do so since a government rocket attack last week killed two of his colleagues and wounded two others. The fate of the foreign journalists has drawn attention to Homs, which has emerged as a key battleground between government forces and those seeking to end the re-
gime of authoritarian President Bashar Assad. The government’s increasingly bloody attempts to put down the 11-month uprising have fueled mounting international criticism. The Obama administration summoned Syria’s senior envoy in the U.S., Zuheir Jabbour, over the Homs offensive.
The State Department’s top diplomat for the Mideast, Jeffrey Feltman, expressed his “outrage over the monthlong campaign of brutality and indiscriminate shelling” in Homs, according to a statement. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told members of Congress on Tuesday that Assad could be considered a war criminal.
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OPINION
4
Thursday, March 1, 2012 | THE DAILY TEXAN | Viviana Aldous, Editor-in-Chief | (512) 232-2212 | editor@dailytexanonline.com
Promoting equal marriage rights
Vote today Vote in the ongoing campus-wide elections. While the Student Government presidential race has been postponed, voting for candidates standing for Student Government representative, Student Events Center president, University Co-op Board of Directors and The Daily Texan editor positions as well as on a referendum on possible tuition increases continues until 5 p.m. today at http://utexasvote.com.
QUOTES TO NOTE Earlier this week, federal judges in San Antonio released interim maps for Texas’ congressional districts. The approval of the new maps would allow Texas to hold its primary elections on May 29. The following quotes are responses to the newly released maps.
“The court properly rejected the demands by some plaintiffs to draw drastic and overreaching interim maps.” — Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday, according to a press re-
lease.
“This was a total devastation for the Latino community across Texas.” — Luis Vera, attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens, according to The Washington Post.
“We’re very displeased with [the maps], but we’re still evaluating.” — Renea Hicks, an attorney for Travis County, according to The Houston
By Zoya Waliany Daily Texan Columnist
A county judge in Dallas is making waves in the headlines for her policies regarding performing marriage ceremonies. Tonya Parker, thought to be the first openly gay African-American elected official in Texas, is refusing to perform marriage ceremonies for straight couples until gay couples are secured the same right. Parker argues that she will not conduct these heterosexual-only marriage ceremonies because it is an “unequal application of the law. Period,” according to the Dallas Voice. She also believes doing so would be hypocritical to her own identity, as she would not be afforded the same marriage ceremony with the partner of her choice. Parker goes on to note that when couples come to her to be married, she quickly helps them find another judge at the courthouse to perform the ceremony instead. Yet, before turniwng them away, she takes the opportunity to explain why she refuses to perform the ceremony, bringing the inequalities of the current Texas marriage law to light in a relatable way for heterosexual couples. She hopes to use her public position to raise awareness of LGBT rights and ensure LGBT persons in
Texas feel equal in her courtroom. Parker’s unprecedented actions are garnering attention of Sean Hannity and other conservative pundits. Parker’s politically charged stance comes at a time when issues of gay marriage and other similar topics are entering the forefront of the Republican primary debate. Texas in particular seems to have trouble swallowing the idea of LGBT rights. Our own governor warned of President Barack Obama’s supposed “war on religion” and, in a nowfamous video, bemoaned that “gays can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas.” Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum seems to have waged his own metaphorical war on Americans with differing opinions than his own. Since his surge from behind in the primary race, his very conservative opinions have entered the mainstream, transforming the Republican primary race into one focused on social issues instead of the economy or foreign policy. Santorum, who promises to invalidate gay marriage and reinstate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell as president, believes same-sex relationships do not benefit society and thus these relationships should not be awarded the “privilege of marriage.” While there are many reasons to fear the future for LGBT rights and the fight
for equal marriage rights, there are also many reasons to rejoice the progress being made. Numerous states around the U.S. have recently legalized same-sex marriage, including Washington and, soon, Maryland. California recently overturned Proposition 8 when an appeals court found it unconstitutional. Texas itself is making progress toward ensuring LGBT equality, including the activism of Judge Parker, and Houston’s election of the U.S.’s first openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, in 2009. Furthermore, the UT campus has created a safe environment for all students with features such as the Gender and Sexuality Center, the Queer Student Alliance and the Gay Business Students Association. Messages like Parker’s are vital to our society because they bring to light human rights violations in our country. Her stand against performing heterosexual marriages is not to demonstrate contempt toward a particular group, but rather to promote the equal rights for all groups. Parker is well aware that her position gives her a greater platform to spread her opinions. Her brave actions should be esteemed and simulated around the country by other people in positions of power in order to further the cause of marriage equality. Waliany is a Plan II and government senior.
Chronicle.
“Many Texas Democrats choose to perpetuate the myth that a voter’s ethnicity can predict which party they support. ... The people of Texas are the clear winners in this ruling.” — Republican state Rep. John V. Garza, in a column Monday in The San
Antonio Express-News.
THE FIRING LINE In support of dialogue, progress and peace
We need honest intellectual discourse. What we don’t need is the boycott, divestment, sanctions movement (BDS). The BDS movement, currently working its way onto the UT campus, is a regressive leap backwards for peace in the Middle East. Veiling its ultimate goal — the destruction of Israel — BDS hides behind the facade of pursuing of Palestinian rights. The primary danger of BDS at UT is that the movement removes the potential for educated conversation by calling for consumer, academic and cultural boycotts of Israel. Columbia University President Lee Bollinger said academic boycotts are “utterly antithetical to the fundamental values of the academy. In seeking to quarantine Israeli universities and scholars, [a boycott] threatens every university committed to fostering scholarly exchanges that lead to enlightenment.” Moreover, boycotts are divisive. If those behind BDS truly valued education and progress, they would not just target Israel. If stopping violations of human rights law is the BDS movement’s primary concern, why not protest Ahmadinejad’s Iran, Bashir’s Syria and Hamas’ Gaza? These countries all oppress Palestinians in ways ranging from denying them basic human rights to openly expelling them. As New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman explained, “Criticizing Israel is not antiSemitic, and saying so is vile. Singling out Israel out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest.” I implore you to seek solutions to the myriad of struggles in the Middle East today. Reject the BDS movement in support of dialogue, progress and peace.
Daley Epstein Texans for Israel
Scandals perpetuate apathy toward Student Government elections By Katherine Taylor Daily Texan Columnist
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past two weeks or you’re part of the majority of the campus population that doesn’t care about Student Government, you’ve heard about the two disqualifications of candidates running for SG president and vice president. Yes, two of the five campaigns for president of the student body have been disqualified. Judging by the signs in front of what I like to call the super PACs of the University — the sorority and frat houses — and the screams of their minions in the West Mall — overzealous pamphlet-distributing freshmen — the two disqualified campaigns were the front-runners. For those of you outside of the SG bubble, let’s recap what happened. First, former presidential candidate Yaman Desai and his running mate Whitney Langston were disqualified after one of the members of their campaign misrepresented herself to get information about the campaign website of their opponents Madison Garnder and Antonio Guevara. Desai and Langston went so far as to challenge their disqualification until the campaigner showed the
The Daily Texan the emails in which Desai asking her to lie about her association with his campaign. He only dropped out of the race when there was incontrovertible proof illustrating his actions. Looks like we all dodged a bullet. Thankfully, Desai won’t be president of SG. With Desai and Langston out of the race and with the diversity that Guevara brought to the table — Guevara was the only minority candidate that remained — the path was clear for them to win the race — that is, until the Desai and Langston campaign got involved. In a move I’d like to call “The Yaman Strikes Back: Revenge of the Whitney,” Jasmine Kyles, a former member of the Desai/Langston campaign, filed a complaint against the Gardner/Guevara team that resulted in the latter’s disqualification. While Kyles released an online statement claiming she acted without malice, it seems naive to think she acted otherwise considering her loyalty to Desai and his fraudulent actions. While the punishment for Gardner and Guevara seems rather harsh given that they were disqualified for having an association with another candidate because of a picture in their promotional materials, don’t go feeling sorry for them. First, they were
warned about the offense before the disqualification and refused to act. And now Gardner and Guevara are showing their true colors by suing the University for violating their constitutional rights. Are you kidding me? They were disqualified for breaking the rules after they were warned once about their actions. Now they got the Travis County Court to postpone the presidential elections so they have a chance to get back on the election ballot? What a waste of everyone’s time and money — Travis County’s, the University’s and students’ — over some selfindulgent whining. You broke the rules, you got punished. Deal with it. So we’re left with two campaigns: John Lawler/ Terrence Maas and Thor Lund/Wills Brown. Lund and Brown offer such novel ideas as giant campus events in the fall and spring for the students, which makes me wonder if they’ve ever heard of Forty Acres Fest, Explore UT, Texas THON or the Orange and White Ball, just to name a few. “Big John” and Maas want to “increase profit sharing from the University trademark, a department currently housed within UT Athletics,” to increase revenue, according to their campaign website. Let me get this straight: They think their roles as SG
president and vice president will allow them to restructure and redistribute the earnings of a system that is housed in multiple departments and that SG doesn’t have direct control over? Insert scoff and disbelief here. Both campaigns want to increase campus safety by expanding the SURE walk program, but I can’t help but point out that the Butler/Baker campaign of 2011 promised the same exact thing. Even after the rapes and murder that rocked the campus early this year, nothing has been done to make West Campus any safer — at least not by SG — so I’m going to call foul on SG’s ability to get this campaign promise done. It’s not that any of these ideas are bad, but SG presidential candidates love to make promises to change things they have no control over. When they don’t promise things that they could actually put into practice, how are we supposed to take these campaigns seriously? With the scandals, lies and empty promises that have defined this election campaign so far, is it any wonder that so few students vote or care at all? Taylor is a Plan II and rhetoric and writing senior.
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Email your Firing Lines to firingline@dailytexanonline.com. Letters must be more than 100 and fewer than 300 words. The Texan reserves the right to edit all submissions for brevity, clarity and liability.
NEWS
Thursday, March 1, 2012
5
Raveena Bhalara | Daily Texan Staff
From left to right: Americans Elect CEO Kahil Byrd, Mark McKinnon of Hill Knowlton Strategies, moderator Sherri Greenberg, Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Evan Smith and UT faculty Talia Stroud and Bruce Buchanan. Byrd and McKinnon made their campaign Wednesday night at the LBJ School of Public Affairs to create a national online primary that has access to all 50 states, while Smith, Stroud and Buchanan critically questioned the organization.
Group desires to create three-person presidential race By Andrew Messamore Daily Texan Staff
Tapping into voter frustration about special interests and the two party election system, third party voting group Americans Elect made its campaign stop Wednesday night at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Americans Elect CEO Kahlil Byrd and Mark McKinnon of Hill+Knowlton Strategies spoke on behalf of the group, which seeks to create a national online primary and allow its candidate to have access to ballots in all 50 states in time for the November election. The organization wants to create a three-way race that will allow its candidate to bypass primaries and effectively compete with the Republican and Democratic national parties, Byrd said.
“At a time when special interests and the radical wings of two parties dominate the stage, we find that millions of people are looking to have another choice,” Byrd said. “Americans want new leadership on the presidential ticket in 2012.” Americans Elect also hopes to fulfill the role of center that has been crumbling under assault from a hyperpolarizing political atmosphere. Given the flight of moderates such as Olympia Snowe and Joe Lieberman from Congress, Americans Elect hopes to offer independents a greater degree of choice, Byrd said. “When you look through the recent popularity booms in the Republican primaries, we see that the ability of Americans to absorb a new candidate is pretty high,” Byrd said. “People continue to look for another candidate,
and they hunger for candidates that put forth ideas that matter.” A panel of Austinites questioned Byrd and McKinnon. They consisted of government professor Bruce Buchanan and Talia Stroud, assistant director to the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation C om mu n i c at i on Stu d i e s , as well as Texas Tribune editor-inchief Evan Smith. Smith said the group was not disclosing who its donors were, which is a lack of transparency. “You talk about the crippling influence of money, but how are you any different when we don’t know who you are receiving money from,” Smith said. “If I were the Coke brothers and I decided that I’m trying to defeat Obama, and that Romney isn’t the guy to do it, why not invest in a third party to pull votes away
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from his candidacy.” Smith also praised the organization for trying to expand direct democracy, but said that the ultimate goals of Americans Elect were confusing. “If your goal is to remove barriers to ballot access, why not raise the money to change the laws,” Smith said. “Why have three parties when you could have four or five?” Americans Elect has recently succeeded in obtaining the ballot in California, a significant victory, and raised around $30 million for its ballot buying campaign. Its non-disclosure policy will remain in place to protect candidates from donor influence, McKinnon said, and the organization hopes to have narrowed its current 350 candidates to six by the mid-summer election season.”
When you look through the recent popularity booms in the Republican primaries, we see that the ability of Americans to absorb a new candidate is pretty high. — Kahil Byrd, Americans Elect CEO
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NEWS
Thursday, March 1, 2012
WikiLeaks to release information about fraudulent company
The city of Austin is scheduled to vote today on a permanent ban of disposable plastic bags in retail establishments. Bags used for transporting prescription drugs, prepared food from restaurants, bulk items from grocery stores, laundry dry cleaning and alcoholic beverages will not be affected by the ban.
By Paul Weber and Raphael Satter The Associated Press
Fanny Trang Daily Texan file photo
City Council to vote on plastic bag ban By Hannah Jane Daily Texan Staff
City Council is voting today on a citywide ban on disposable paper and plastic bags, which would require consumers to use reusable bags at all retail establishments within city limits. The ban would attempt to eliminate all use of disposable single-use bags used throughout the city. The first draft of the ordinance was released Dec. 8, 2011 after the city discontinued the Recycle the Bag pilot program encouraging citizens to increase recycling of disposable bags. The ordinance has undergone two revisions, and the third draft, released Jan. 19, will be voted on after a public hearing at 4 p.m. today. Austin Resource Recovery director Bob Gedert submitted a memorandum of recommended revisions to the current draft of the ordinance, under which the ban is slated to begin Jan. 1, 2013. The memorandum is also scheduled to be discussed today.
“Our vision is to be a national Zero Waste leader in the transformation from traditional waste collection to sustainable resource recovery,” Gedert said. “We’re already at the forefront of waste reduction and Zero Waste within our region and the state of Texas, and our Master Plan is being used as a model in cities throughout the U.S.” The current proposal includes a temporary customer fee of 10 cents per disposable bag or $1 per transaction lasting from Jan. 1, 2013 to Feb. 28, 2014, in order to allow businesses and consumers to make a successful transition to reusable bags, according to the draft. According to the memorandum, Gedert said he recommends completely removing the fee period from the ordinance in favor of educating businesses and consumers about the ban until Mar. 1, 2013, at which the time the ban would go into full effect. Exemptions from the ban include the use of disposable bags for transporting prescription drugs, prepared food from restaurants, bulk
items from grocery stores, laundry dry cleaning and alcoholic beverages. According to the memorandum, Gedert recommends removing alcoholic beverages from being exempt as well as adding local food pantries to the exemption list. Leslie Sweet, regional director of public affairs for H-E-B, said having a back-up plan for customers who do not bring reusable bags to every purchase would be an important factor in retailers’ support of the ordinance. “Not having an emergency option means that we would be asking 100 percent of our customers to remember their reusable bags 100 percent of the time, and we’re concerned that’s not a realistic expectation for over a million customers a week,” Sweet said. There is a concern over the lack of emphasis on recycling as well as reducing use of paper and plastic bag material, said Ronnie Volkening, Texas Retailers Association CEO. “We feel like this ordinance has never addressed recycling in an ap-
propriate way,” Volkening said. “It’s not comprehensive and is going to leave tons and tons of bags unexempted. Things like bags you use for your bread and ice are unaddressed, and those are still going to be in the waste stream. Furthermore, this is going to [make it mandatory for] all of us have to buy reusable bags and that’s going to be regressive in nature.” Volkening said a more educational method would be more effective in reducing waste and increasing recycling by consumers in the long-term. “What we need to do is measure the way people are [recycling now],” Volkening said. “Then we would begin the education process, including information about recycling, and use that to establish a base line period and measure over a period of time. Retailers keep recycling bins in front of stores, and it’s a growing industry. If people would just bring bags back to recycling bins, they can get remade into a whole range of things.”
SAN ANTONIO — Private intelligence firm Stratfor was paid by Coca-Cola to gauge the threat of Olympic protesters, provided Dow Chemical information on environmental activists, and sells what clients and subscribers consider the best geopolitical analysis that money can buy. Now the Texas-based think tank is the latest target of WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange, who says his anti-secrecy group has more than 5 million of Stratfor’s emails and is promising to release damaging material in the coming weeks. The first, small batch published Monday contained little that was particularly scintillating — but revealed clients that Stratfor has long safeguarded and refused to disclose. They range from local universities to megacorporations like Coca-Cola, which apparently worried about animal-rights supporters crashing and disrupting the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. “To what extent will US-based PETA supporters travel to Canada to support activism?” a Coca-Cola manager asked a Stratfor analyst in a 2009 email. An initial examination of the emails turned up a mix of the innocuous and the embarrassing. But Assange has accused Stratfor of serious deeds, such as funneling money to informants through offshore tax havens and making investments based on its secret intelligence. “What we have discovered is a company that is a private intelligence Enron,” Assange told London’s Frontline Club, referring to the Texas energy giant whose spectacular bankruptcy turned it into a byword for corporate malfeasance. Stratfor denied there was anything
improper in the way it dealt with its contacts. “Stratfor has worked to build good sources in many countries around the world, as any publisher of global geopolitical analysis would do,” the company said in a statement. “We have done so in a straightforward manner and we are committed to meeting the highest standards of professional conduct.” Headquartered on the fourth floor of a bank building in downtown Austin, Stratfor might be one of the smallest targets on which WikiLeaks has set its sights. Founded in 1996, the company was reported to have the equivalent of around 40 full-time employees in Austin in 2008 and regularly plucks interns from the nearby University of Texas campus. According to one internal Stratfor document released by WikiLeaks, the company boasted having 292,000 paid subscribers but also acknowledged that the actual number of people reading its products is far fewer. Stratfor uses analysts to scour the Internet for open-source information, to determine where the world’s next crisis might strike. But the company also pays for information. One email released by WikiLeaks described a $6,000-amonth payment made to a Middle Eastern source. In December, Stratfor founder George Friedman gave advice on handling sources to one of his analysts gathering information on the health of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez. “If this is a source you suspect may have value, you have to take control [of] him. Control means financial, sexual or psychological control to the point where he would reveal his sourcing and be tasked,” the email read. “This is difficult to do when you are known to be affiliated with an intelligence organization.”
VOTE TODAY IN CAMPUS WIDE ELECTIONS
February 29th, 8 am to March 1st, 5 pm @ utexasvote.org Student Government University Wide (8 Votes) Kenton Wilson Nicholas Tawse Jarius Drew Sowells JD Weinstein Horacio Villarreal Manuel Ramirez Luis Fernando Baez Trey Laidlaw Alisha Patel Crystal Zhao Josh Gold J. McNamara Wesley Howard Mario Guel Avery Walker Architecture (1 Vote) Andrew G. Houston
Business (3 Votes) Sheree Harper Aaron Fair Ross Yudkin Nicole Logan Sam Leonard John David Roberts
University Unions GeoScience (1 Vote) Isaac Jimenez Law (1 Vote) Becca Bennie
Liberal Arts (4 Votes) Josh Fuller Communication (2 Votes) Stephen Michael Vincent Robert L. Milligan Kornel Rady Rachel Robillard Varun Kaji Erik Hermes Reva Davis Briana Anastacia Trewitt Education (1 Vote) John Walker Natural Science (3 Votes) Lauren Kraut Engineering (3 Votes) Kenzie Spaniol Ben Beverly Neha Gaddam Javier Huamani Perry Pickei Cory Miller Alexander Limas Kevin Yuan Nursing (1 Vote) Fine Arts (1 Vote) Cody Aarons Austin Ferguson
Texas Student Media College of Communication, Place 3 (1 Vote) Paepin Goff At-Large, Place 4 (1 Vote) Dave Player
The Daily Texan Editor (1 Vote) Susannah Jacob Shabab Siddiqui
Student Events Center President (1 Vote) Carissa Kelley Bethany Ellerbrook Travis Alexander University Unions Board of Directors (2 Votes) Tess McKenna Seth Snyder John Walker
University Co-op Board of Directors (2 Votes) Saranya Kanagaraj, School of Archtecture Jacob Irvin, College of Communication Stephen Tran, McCombs School of Business Holli Wertheimer, McCombs School of Business
Graduate Student Assembly Graduate Student Assembly President (1 Vote) Michael Redding Graduate Student AssemblyVice President (1 Vote) Joel Simmons
At-Large, Place 6 (1 Vote) Jason Lu **Ballot order as of 12:00 noon on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
7 NEWS
NEWS 7
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Obama thanks troops with reception Budget cuts threaten By Nancy Benac The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — With a formal dinner for the few, President Barack Obama on Wednesday paid solemn tribute to the many. The president who opposed the Iraq war from its outset thanked those who fought its battles by sitting down to a candlelit meal with a small cross section of the million-plus who served there over the past nine years. Looking out over a sea of dress uniforms sparkling with medals attesting to years of wartime strife, Obama told the gathering: “In a culture that celebrates fame and fortune, yours are not necessarily household names. You are something more: the patriots who served in our name. And after nearly nine years in Iraq, tonight is an opportunity to express our gratitude and to say once more, welcome home.” The faces of war were reflected in the 200 veterans and their guests who gathered in the East Room to dine on aged rib-eye steak, potato croquettes and chocolate creme brulee. They came from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and spanned generations, gender and all five branches of the military. There was a 24-year-old sailor from Colorado, Petty Officer 3rd Class Max R. Rohn, who spent just five months in Iraq before losing part of his right leg in a blast. There was a 31-yearold Air Force sergeant from Georgia, J.H. Smith, who deployed to Iraq six times in five years and won the Distinguished Flying Cross. The first person injured in the war, Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva of Texas, also was there. Alva, 41, had a leg amputated after stepping on a land mine just hours after the war began in 2003. He later revealed that he was gay and became a prominent advocate for ending the military’s ban on openly gay service members. Seated prominently at Michelle Obama’s side was Kim Felts of Fayetteville, N.C. Her husband, Army Col. Thomas H. Felts, 45, spent more than two decades in the military but had never served in combat before he volunteered to go to Iraq. He died in 2006 when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. In all, nearly 4,500 Americans died
President Barack Obama speaks as he hosts a dinner for members of the U.S. military who served in Iraq in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais Associated Press
in the Iraq war. The president paid tribute to all those assembled — service members and loved ones alike — for their sacrifice and devotion to country, comrades and family. Taking note of Vietnam veterans who often didn’t get the recognition they deserved, Obama said, “That’s a mistake that we must never repeat.” At a reception before the dinner, guests traded war stories and compared notes on their deployments. “It’s neat to see the broad swath that the military cuts through our society,” said Army Lt. Col. Beth Behn, who
served two tours in Iraq. Felts, who brought along two of her four children, said the dinner was a fitting way to remember her husband, who “always enjoyed a good celebration.” She also cast the dinner as an apt way to express the nation’s thanks to Iraq veterans at a time when other American troops still are in harm’s way in Afghanistan. “It’s a pretty grand affair, in my opinion,” she said, adding that bigger events would be appropriate once all the service members are home from Afghanistan. But some veterans already are push-
ing for a more expansive national expression of gratitude. “One meal isn’t nearly enough to extend the entire nation’s gratitude,” said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “Across the country, millions of Americans want to join the president and first lady in thanking Iraq veterans and their families.”
APPLICATION DEADLINE
anti-smoking PSAs, cessation programs By Michael Gormley The Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. — Steve Panetta smoked for 34 years, the last 10 at a three-pack-a-day clip. He watched his father die from lung cancer and his stepfather struggle with emphysema. He tried quitting six times before a state-funded cessation program helped him beat the habit in 2002. Weekends now find him the guest speaker at anti-smoking programs, exhorting people to quit. He speaks for free and pulls no punches. “I rub it right in their face,” said Panetta, 55, of Troy. “I say, ‘If I could make you feel the way I felt back then for five minutes, then wipe it away and let you feel like I feel now for two minutes, you would throw the cigarettes away.’” He credits a similar in-your-face attitude in the state’s anti-smoking ads and programs for helping him quit. Now, funding for those often chilling TV ads and other smoking cessation programs in New York and other recession-battered states is being slashed, sometimes more than other government programs, despite success and savings in health care costs. A U.S. Surgeon General’s report due to be released March 8 will come down hard on states that have cut anti-smoking funds in tough fiscal times, said Terry Pechacek, who oversees the report as director for Science in the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report can’t result in sanctions, but it has proven to move public opinion in the past to force changes by tobacco companies in how they sell cigarettes, how states fund efforts and how the federal government reg-
Book-Signing & Release Party
THE TEXAS STUDENT MEDIA Board of Operating Trustees is seeking applicants to fill the following TSM Board position:
Hill House Austin Thursday, March 1 , 201 2 5-7 p.m. Wine and hors d’oeuvres
College of Communication, Place 2 (unexpired term) Terms of office: March 23, 2012 – May 31, 2014 College of Communication Qualifications:
• • • • • •
Be a registered student during the semester in which application is made. Have competed at least one semester in residence in the long term at UT Austin. Be in good standing and not on scholastic probation. Must be enrolled in the College of Communication and must have completed or will have completed by the end of the current semester 12 hours of College of Communication courses. Applicant cannot be an employee of Texas Student Media. Applicant must supply the Board with a current transcript of all courses taken at UT.
The TSM Board oversees the largest student media program in the United States.
Your job as a board member?
• • • • • • •
Adopt annual budget Review monthly income and expenses Select KVRX station manager, TSTV station manager, Texas Travesty and Cactus yearbook editors, The Daily Texan managing editor Certify candidates seeking election to TSM board and for The Daily Texan editor Review major purchase requests
ulates the trade. “It is a hard-hitting report and it’s going to say, ‘Why haven’t we ended this epidemic? Why are we still feeding all these replacement smokers into a deadly industry?’” Pechacek said in an interview while opposing proposed budget cuts in Albany. “We’ve been saying since 1964 that we are going to do something about it, and we are basically in a stall,” he said. There are increased federal efforts to cut into the smoking rate. The Food and Drug Administration is planning to spend about $600 million over five years to educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use. The share of Americans who smoke has fallen since 1970, from nearly 40 percent to 20 percent down to about 46 million adult smokers now. But smoking levels haven’t changed since about 2004. Multimedia campaigns are aimed at reducing death and disease caused by tobacco, which is responsible for about 443,000 deaths a year in the U.S. “It is a real tragedy and pennywise, but pound foolish when states cut spending on tobacco control programs,” said Professor Kurt M. Ribisl of the Department of Health Behavior at the University of North Carolina. “There is zero doubt that well-run state tobacco control programs are very effective in reducing tobacco consumption and tobacco-related disease.” Smoking programs have been an easier target politically in tough fiscal times when the alternative is to cut schools or hospitals, but many states also raided anti-smoking funds from a landmark $246 billion national court settlement funds from the tobacco industry for 15 years.
Published by the UT Christian Faculty Network Available from Hill House Christian Study Center 2104 Nueces, Austin, TX 78705 www.hillhouseaustin.org $10/copy, $5 for students
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
EXPLORE UT Join us on campus for a day of discovery, learning and fun at
The Biggest Open House in Texas
Saturday, March 3, 2012 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rain or shine
See complete schedule of Explore UT events in tomorrow’s Daily Texan
Applications may be found on the TSM web site:
http://www.utexas.edu/tsm/board/
or they can be picked up at the following location:
Office of the Director Texas Student Media, HSM 3.304 Deadline for applications and all supporting materials:
Noon, Friday, March 9, 2012
TEXASNT STUDDEIA ME
The position will be appointed by the TSM Board of Operating Trustees on: Monday, March 19,, 2012 at 10:30am College of Communication LBJ Room #5.160 2600 Whitis Avenue
Questions? Please contact TSM Director: Gary Borders at 512-471-5084.
Activities are free. No registration required.
www.utexas.edu/events/exploreut
COMICS 11
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Daily Texan Comics.
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12 ENT
12 LIFE&ARTS
Thursday, March 1, 2012
SCIENCE continues from PAGE 14 researchers pinned down two items (one in the timing gear of the machine and another in a wiring connection) that they think may have been the source of the problem. Further tests in May should cement whether or not the laws of physics need to be rewritten.
Men not going extinct anytime soon
Shila Farahani | Daily Texan Staff
UT radio-television-film sophomore Chris Gilman was chosen to feature his short film ”The Boy Also Rises” for the Third Annual Texas Union Film Festival starting Thursday. The story reflects on the hardships of love in a dark comedic way, and will be shown at the SAC tomorrow.
FILM continues from PAGE 14 cause we want everyone to have this opportunity,” Martinez said. “Some have more dramatic story lines and some are more artistic. There’s something there for everyone.” The film committee wanted students to produce films they would not only enjoy making but would also be entertaining for a student audience. Martinez said she was happily surprised to see the Facebook event has been tagged in status updates all week, something she hasn’t seen in years past showing her the film festival will continue to remain relevant. “It’s great for these students to be able to take a step away from a movie theatre,” Martinez said. “It’s special to see what these filmmakers are capable of.”
Beatles’ childhood homes to be preserved LON D ON — T h e c h i l d hood homes of former Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney, where the pair wrote some of their early songs, will be preserved, the government said Wednesday. Lennon’s house in south Liverpool and McCartney’s nearby row home will be granted a grade 2 listing, which means they cannot be altered without the permission of local officials, said Britain’s Heritage Minister John Penrose. T h e d e c i s i on m e an s t h e h om e s of on e of B r it a i n’s greatest song writing teams will be protected for generations to come. Their work has long been associated with the northern port city Liverpool, particularly because of songs like “Penny Lane” and “Straw-
berry Fields Forever” that celebrated their childhood haunts. L e n n on l i v e d at a c om fortable 1930s duplex house called “Mendips” in 251 Menlove Ave. from 1945 to 1963 with his aunt and uncle after his parents separated when he was five. McCartney lived in nearby Forthlin Road for nine years from 1955. The two musicians held early practice sessions for their first band The Quarr ymen while living at these houses, and wrote The Beatles’ first number one hit, the raucous “Please Please Me,” at Lennon’s home. Preservation group The National Trust has already restored the houses to look as they would have when Lennon and McCartney were growing up.
In a statement Wednesday, L ennon’s widow Yoko Ono said: “Mendips always meant a great deal to John and it was where his childhood dreams came t r ue for hims elf and for the world.” The preservation order was granted by English Heritage, a government-sponsored body that decides which buildings to preser ve. It decided not to pres e r ve t he chi l d ho o d homes of Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison and drummer Ringo Starr. Emily Gee at English Heritage said Lennon’s and McC ar t ne y’s homes had b e en pre s e r ve d b e c au s e “t h e y were scenes of huge amounts o f r e h e a r s a l , o f c o mp o s i tion of songs, really intense, creative hubs.” — The Associated Press
u eB Th
ys
A new study refutes a previous report which suggested that the Y-chromosome, the determiner of the male sex of an individual, is running out of genes and may go extinct in the next few million years. The Y-chromosome of our ancestors from 300 million years ago had 1400 genes, whereas today, it has fewer than 100. However, this more recent study, published in ‘Nature,’ shows that men haven’t lost a single gene in their Ychromosomes in the past 6 million years and only one in the past 20 million, hinting that although the chromosome may have lost many genes in the past, it seems stable now. In other words, if the Y-chromosome’s going away, it’s still going to take quite a while.
precise and delicate method of determining the electric charge distribution inside a molecule. The system involves a thin, sensitive device with a tip that’s kept at a constant voltage that moves over a molecule. Depending on the charge of a given part of the molecule, the tip is either attracted or repelled slightly. By noting where on the molecule the tip moves up and down, a map of the charge distribution can be determined and an image can be formed that gives scientists new insight into the sub-microscopic world.
Like a planet-sized sauna
Our solar system contains three types of planets: rocky ones like Venus and Mars, gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn and icy giants like Uranus and Neptune. However, outside the solar system, scientists are discovering there may be other options. A new planet, designated GJ 1214b, found 40 light years away, seems to be a giant ball of hot, steaming ocean, with a large fraction of its mass coming from water. Scientists have been able to determine this by using the Hubble telescope to look at the infrared color of the planet’s sunset, which indicates a planet with a thick, waterScientists charged about new based atmosphere. The discovery suggests that our current view of images what planets are like may be much A group at the IBM Research narrower than what the universe group in Zurich has devised a has in store.
NAIL ART continues from PAGE 14 want them to at least be interesting to look at,” Lane said. There are simple ways to mix it up for those who are afraid to jump on board with the nail art trend. Try painting your ring fingernail a different color than the rest of your nails, or try painting over your manicure
♲
with “shattered” polish. This type of polish is applied just like regular nail polish and creates a unique, crackled look. “Don’t be afraid to experiment,” Song said. “I mean, it’s just your nails. If you mess up, you can take it off and try again.”
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APPLICATIONS
are being accepted for the following student positions with Texas Student Media:
2012-2013 TSTV Station Manager 2012-2013 KVRX Station Manager 2012-2013 Texas Travesty Editor Application forms and a a list of qualifications are available in the Office of the Director, William Randolph Hearst Building (HSM), Room 3.304, 2500 Whitis Avenue. The TSM Board of Operating Trustees will interview applicants and appoint these positions at 10:30am on March 19, 2012 in the College of Communication (CMA), LBJ Room #5.160, 2600 Whitis Avenue
DEADLINE Noon, Friday, March 9, 2012 Please return completed applications, transcripts and all supporting materials to the Director’s Office. Interested applicants are invited to stop by and visit with the Director to discuss student positions.
LIFE&ARTS 13
Thursday, March 1, 2012*
Comedy duo speaks about filmmaking, creating characters By Karin Samelson Daily Texan Staff
Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are the eponymous comedy duo behind the new movie “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie,” which is being released in Austin today following a special Alamo Drafthouse screening last month. Their TV series, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” showcases their own characters as well as famous comedic actors Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. “Billion Dollar Movie” follows suit with the same setup. The movie revolves around the pair’s attempt at renovating a shopping mall after they fail in their endeavor to make a movie with a billion dollar budget. Though Heidecker and Wareheim filmed with a tight budget and time constraints, they delivered a movie sure to delight anybody who finds their controversial comedy funny, not tasteless. The Daily Texan spoke with Heidecker and Wareheim about “Billion Dollar Movie,” Internet piracy and the simple pleasures in life. The Daily Texan: Eric, why did you let Tim’s name go first? Eric Wareheim: It rolls off the tongue better. “Eric & Tim ... ” [shakes head]
DT: What was your biggest inPhoto Courtesy of Magnet Releasing spiration when pursuing comedy? Tim Heidecker: “America’s Fun- Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s latest film “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” will be making its Austin premiere Friday, March 2, at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. It will run through March 15. niest Home Videos” and “America’s Funniest Pe ople” wit h due to our budget. We had a short ing people laugh? a movie again? Dave Coulier. schedule of 20 days. Heidecker: Installing lightWareheim: The former. Would Wareheim: Wasn’t it something ing fixtures. make it happen on set so it can DT: When did you first figure like 19 days? Wareheim: Tequila tasting at draw inspiration. STORIES out you wanted to be comedians? Heidecker: Doesn’t matter, 20 Cabo Wabo. Heidecker: People always say our Heidecker: From the birth of sounds fine. work is random. We don’t like the VIDEOS our consciousness. DT: What do you enjoy most word “random” because the work PHOTO GALLERIES DT: How do you create your in life? that goes into it is never random. DT: What was your inspiration characters? Heidecker: My dogs and wife. & MORE for the movie? Heidecker: Everyday people. A Not in that order! Wareheim: We draw from every- lot of people use faces in the backWareheim: Traveling and “Tim and Eric’s Awesome @dailytexanonline.com thing we do. We make things dif- ground that we put in the fore- good food. Show, Great Job!” ferent and wrote the scripts that ground. Those seven faces that we wanted to write. There were people tend to always use aren’t DT: What’s your message to Austin premiere no boundaries. our inspiration. people who try and download the DATE | Friday, March 2 movie illegally? DT: Do you ever think to yourDT: Has the movie been getting Heidecker: You can go fucking TIME | 4:10 p.m. 6 p.m. 8:45 p.m. self this might be too much? the response you expected? jump off a bridge. LOCATION | Alamo Ritz Heidecker: Sure, anything conHeidecker: Yes, fans are loving troversial. We either move for- it and everyone else is polarized. DT: Would you rather have an WEB | drafthouse.com ward with or kill it. We’re keeping They’re either on board or not. We actual group of boys defecating TICKETS | Starting from $7. it going. began selling it on the Internet, and on you in a tub, which happens to the response is great. you in the movie, or never make DT: What was your biggest obstacle during filming? DT: What else would you be doHeidecker: Time constraints ing right now if you weren’t mak-
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LIFE&ARTS
Thursday, March 1, 2012 | THE DAILY TEXAN | Katie Stroh, Life&Arts Editor | (512) 232-2209 | dailytexan@gmail.com
Bright trend makes beauty easy to nail Nail art gives simple outlet for creativity By Jessica Lee Daily Texan Staff
The word “trend” can immediately set off a sigh or palm-toface motion as fashion lovers recall those horrible style mistakes that seemed right at the time. Anyone who embraced gauchos pants, the poncho or moon boots, you know the feeling. But the latest trend is something you won’t agonize over in the future: nail art. Nail art is a simple way to transform your look, and really, have you ever regretted what color you painted your nails? This isn’t the typical one-color manicure. From polka dots and stripes to more intricate designs such as cheetah print, nail art is an inexpensive and fun way to set yourself apart. Textiles and apparel senior Kin Song was ahead of the curve when it came to jumping on the nail art trend. “I’m the kind of person who really likes artsy stuff,” Song said. “I think it’s an interesti ng hobby t hat i s e a s y and really fun.” The key is to use colors that complement each other. Song suggests colors that will brighten your look, such as yellows, oranges and reds. After letting the base coat completely dry, apply the design to each nail. Design ideas are endless. For beginners, it is best to start with basic designs, like chevron stripes, color blocking and glitter. Inspiration can be easily found on the Internet. Hello Giggles, an entertainment site ge are d toward
Thomas Allison | Daily Texan Staff
Textiles and apparel senior Kin Song is one of many people embracing the trend of fingernails as fashion accessory. Song enjoys incorporating not only a variety of colors, but materials like glitter and fabric into her designs. She embraces nail art in particular as it allows her to make a fashion statement which can last days but is easily removable.
women, features a s e g m e nt c a l l e d “Nails of the Day,” which allows readers to show off their creative nail designs. Style blogger and upcoming Texas Style Council speaker Veronika Placek of Tick Tock Vintage has recently been showing off her nail art to readers. “I always have to be doing something with my hands while watching TV or browsing the Internet, so nail art is a fun way to keep my hands busy,” Placek said. “It’s cheap, pretty easy and a great way to be creative.” Placek is proof that you don’t have to make a pricey trip to the nail salon to get this look. A basic manicure can cost up to
$20. Add a design, and suddenly you will find yourself spending a lot of money on something that will only last a few weeks. Take a quick trip down to the local drugstore or beauty shop and grab a variety of nail polish colors. Prices vary depending on the quality of the product, but brands such as O.P.I. and Essie are always a safe bet and run around $6-8. Be sure to pick up a clear nail polish as well to use as both a base and top coat. This will allow your nail polish to last longer and prevent staining. More detailed design can be done with a thin paintbrush. Simply pour a small amount of nail polish on a disposable plate and paint onto your nails in the same manner you would paint onto a canvas. The key is practice. Painting a design on such a small surface can be difficult. It just gets worse when you try to paint us-
ing the hand you don’t normally write with. Don’t expect to get it perfect the first time (or the second). Actress and singer Zooey Deschanel has been seen rocking nail art on the red carpet. At the Golden Globes, Deschanel had little tuxedos painted on each nail. Journalism senior Carson Lane also uses nail art as a means to enhance her personal style. “I always like to do my nails a little differently, whether I
paint them with a unique color or paint on some sort of design,” Lane said. “I think of it in the same way as I do clothes or shoes. I wouldn’t buy a boring shirt when I have the option to pick one that stands out.” And wouldn’t you rather look down at fun, vibrant nails while working on that never-ending pile of homework? “If my nails are going to be painted for a while at a time, I
NAIL ART continues on PAGE 12
Don’t be afraid to experiment. I mean, it’s just your nails. If you mess up, you can take it off and try again. — Kim Song, Textile and Apparel senior
Photo by Thomas Allison | Daily Texan Staff
Union hosts local film festival Lab-made burgers may soon help eliminate factory farms By Lindsey Cherner Daily Texan Staff
Over winter break, freshman radio-television-film sophomore Chris Gilman and his friend Will Kempner, a student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, wrote, planned and produced their own short film at their friends’ aunt’s house, a dentist office and a nature preserve in New Jersey. “We produced our film just for fun, just to see what it would take,” Gilman said. “But then I saw the event page [for the Third Annual Texas Union Film Festival] and couldn’t say no.” The Student Events C enter Film Committee presents its Third Annual Texas Union Film Festival today in the Student Activity Center auditorium. The festival will screen short films selected by the film committee from UT student submissions. “We’re used to showing block-
Third Annual Texas Union Film Festival DATE | Thursday, March 1 TIME | 6 p.m. LOCATION | SAC 1.402 WEB | utsec.org/fc TICKETS | Free w/ UT ID
busters, but we wanted to do something different with this festival,” said Kirsten Martinez, chair of the film committee. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to show their own films.” The film festival has doubled in its applicants since its initiation in the spring of 2010. This year 20 films will be shown, with the runtime expected to last three hours this evening. The film committee expects 100 people to attend the free show. “We were really able to get the word out this year,” Martinez said. “We just hope the filmmakers get a lot out of it and are able to get some critique and feedback.” Marc Bachman, director of the film committee, said the festival is all about The Union reaching out to the filmmakers. Although he has never produced a film himself, he said this is a way for the community to appreciate good student films. “This is an accessible on-campus festival,” Bachman said. “Yes, there’s South By Southwest but that’s so highly organized and difficult to break into. This is something that validates what the filmmakers are doing.” Gilman said, like Bachman suggested, he chose to enter this festival to validate his filmmaking. Gilman’s film, “The Boy Also Rises,” runs at approximately 13 minutes in length. The film tells the story of a struggling cou-
ple on the verge of divorce with a quiet son. But while the romance is losing its magic and the couple strives to redeem their love, their son is newly “possessed” by magic. “[His parents] think he’s doing some sort of witchcraft, but it’s all really innocent,” Gilman said. “We wanted to make a dark family comedy that’s meant to be funny and scary at the same time.” This is not Gilman’s first film. He has made several other short films, however this is the most extensive film he has worked on. Although not normally one to compete, Gilman has said he would enter this film into other festivals around the country after a more unique score is added. “We basically write the movies we want to see for ourselves,” Gilman said. “I always loved movies as a kid.” The festival will be judged by Michael Gill, an Austin screenwriter, Katy Daiger, an Austin Film Society community education manager, Erin Hallagan, an Austin Film Festival film programmer and Anne Lewis, a film professor at UT. The judges will be looking for a film that exudes quality and is acted well, according to Martinez. Although there will only be one grand champion, there will also be an award for audience favorite. “We have a lot of entries be-
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SCIENCE SCENE By Robert Starr
Hamburger without the cow It’s been the subject of science fiction in the past, but a Dutch group is finally in the process of making lab-grown meat a reality in the form of a $330,000 hamburger. Made from stem cells, the burger will be more of a proof of concept at this point than a justaround-the-corner reality. But if the process pans out, the benefits could be enormous. Meat made in the lab would be more sustainable, reducing the environmental footprint of a given meal by up to 60 percent, and would also not necessitate killing massive amounts of animals in factory farms. The burger, ordered this week, may not be available until the fall and won’t likely win any food competitions, but it promises a taste of what’s to come.
tists reported that they had measured neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light, which was thought to be impossible according to Einstein’s theory of relativity. Einstein’s theory is generally considered to be one Speedy neutrinos may have of the strongest in physics, so cheated while most scientists (including Nearly six months ago, scien- those who made the measure-
Illustration by Anna Grainer | Daily Texan Staff
ments) thought that there must have been some experimental error, there was an exciting possibility that we may have been on the cusp of an exciting new discovery. This week, though,
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